Book Review: Fascinate
I've always said that the greatest power anyone could desire is the power of persuasion. After reading Fascinate by Sally Hogshead, I'm convinced fascination is even more powerful. Sally Hogshead is one of the more successful copywriters and creative directors in recent advertising history. Her considerable talents are on full display in Fascinate. Hogshead presents seven triggers to fascination - power, trust, mystique, prestige, vice, alarm, and lust. By communicating in a way that hits one or more of these triggers, people will be more drawn to your message. Visit Sally Hogshead's website for videos that illustrate each trigger.
The first part of the book talks about the meaning of fascination, and why it is a necessary skill for success. The second part explains how and why each trigger has an effect. And the third part offers concrete strategies on how to develop, measure, and execute your strategy to fascinate. Here's why I liked this book:
100% Platitude-Free:
We've all read happy-go-lucky cliche marketing books and online articles that sound like a recruiting drive for a self-improvement cult. This is not one of those books. Hogshead does an excellent job in finding provocative and surprising ways to make her points. Her insights are deep, intuitive, and often counter-intuitive. Even some of the case studies and analogies she chooses are quite off-the-wall, but they still hit the mark. This is a refreshing experience for those of us who have read a lot of books on branding, marketing, and social media.
It Gets You Thinking:
Hogshead's writing style and the book's format inspires the reader to creatively engage the material being presented. This is not a book that just relays information like a professor giving a lecture. As I read about each of the seven triggers, I immediately started to identify where I had seen that trigger used, and how I could use it for myself or clients. There are also several easy-to-follow exercises offered in the third section of the book that help you start putting the theory into practice.
In the advertising world, there is a constant conflict between "creativity" and "process." Ad agencies market their services based on proprietary theories, and often do research before creative gets the project. But once a creative project is underway, ideas come in all forms and, often we're stuck finding ways to rationalize how a great idea fits the theory we previously sold the client. Fascinate is a flexible framework that will help ad professionals bridge the gap between bold ideas and a coherent strategy, without compromising either. Applicable to Everyday Life:
Fascinate is not just for building brands. The seven triggers of fascination are applicable in one's home life and social life as well. In fact, many of the analogies and case studies given come from other sources than brands, products, and services. Conclusion:
Sally Hogshead has blessed her audience with a big book of insights on how to create more fascinating brands and a more fascinating you.
Addendum-A Must-Have for any Copywriter:
Every copywriter should read Fascinate. This book will help you concept and write for compelling brands that communicate in today's media landscape. I'd put Fascinate right next to my other copywriter must-haves:
Linchpin by Seth Godin
The Idea Writers by Teressa Iezzi
Hey Whipple Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan
The New Capitalist Manifesto by Umair Haque
